Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-18
A MIDNIGHT. BLAZE.
A PORTION or THE HALE & STALNAKBR
FACTORY DESTROYED.
One Of the Most Stubborn Fires Occurring in the
City for Ysars-fhe Loss Probably Eighteen
thousand DOllars-Arrest Of a
Suspicious Character

STUBBORN Wucn the department. mas Deen
called upon to combat for years broke out
about twenty minutes of one O'Clock this
morning in the box and bung factory of
Hale & Stalnaker, on South street, between
Main and Market. About quarter 10
one o'clock Officer Joe Glenn, while pa
trolling his beat, on Twentieth street, had
his attention attracted by a strong smell of
wood smoke, and he quickly located the
fire in the upper portion of the southern
of the two buildings occupied by the
frm above named. Glenn pulled box 80,
and the department was soon on the
scene and hard at work. The rain which
had fallen steadily all night had saturated
thoroughly the rOofOfthe building, and the
fire was thus for time confined to the up
per portion of the ediiee, but the in
terror of the structure being old and dry,
and filed with lumber and other eombus-
tible material, the flames spread under the
roof with great rapidity, and by the time
the firemen had got the first stream of
water on the entire west end of the south
building, known as the old Hubbard saw
mill, was in bright blaze.
The fremen early saw that the task of
saving this building was hopeless one,
and turned their attention mainly to pre-
venting the spread OF the flames to the two
story brick building fronting on South
street, wherein some of the valuable
machinery Of the firm was located, and
also to keep the building adjoining on the
east, occupied by J. NJ. ClOustOn rs
feed and -four warehouse, from
igniting In this attempt the department
was successful, but the buildings were not
thoroughly safe until aquarter of o'clock
this morning chief Dunning was prompt
ly on hand, and assumed control Of the
workings of his men, his efforts being ably
seconded by Mr.. John BOdley, who afford
ed valuable aid.
In ten minutes after the alarm
struck six streams Of water were
playing on the fire, and one or two others
were afterwards added, but the immense
volume of water thrown seemed to have
but little effect. Fortunately the wind
WAS blowing from the north, thus carrying
the flames away from the buildings on
South and Market streets. Had the
usual west wind been blowing the
CloustOn establishment and the frame
buildings along Market street must
inevitably have been destroyed. The COM
bustible material of the old saw mill and
its contents made the fire very hot one,
and myriads OF sparks were carried high
in the air and waite south, falling on
Main street As far south rs Twenty-tiTst
street and westward to the b. q. railroad
tracks.
At exactly half-past one o'clock the
heavy framed timbers Of the old saw mill
fell with heavy crash, and u few minutes
later a large portion OF the south and west
walls followed, the disturbance thus
caused sending the flames aud sparks to q
great height. Fifteen minutes later the
tiremen had the flames well under control,
and by two O'Clock the fire was pretty
well out.
The origin OF the fire is not definitely
known. There are some suspicious cir
cumstanCes which seem to point to incen-
diarism. Early yesterday morning John
Holmes, a well-knOwn thief, attempted to
lire, OF did ire the premises OF Theodore
Morris, the Water street produce dealer
He was detected, and the police were nOti-
fed to look out for him. This morning,
inst after the alarm from box 35 struck
Officers Watson and McNiChols caught
Holmes near the blazing building and lock-
ed him up. He acknowledged having set
fire to Morris premises, but said nothing
pointing to his having fired the Hale &
Stalnaker property. Just about the time
the alarm struck the yard master at the
B. & D. found suspicious looking stran-
ger concealed abOut some of the houses
near the foot OF Twentieth street. The
fellow, who was a stout, heavy set man,
with a dicer hat, seemed to DE much ex-
cited and desirous of eyading capture. He
ran across the creek, to the north side, and
was lost to view in the excitement attend
ing the fire.
These two facts created the conviction in
MANY minds last night that the tre was OF
incendiary origin, but investigation to-day
may prove that it was due to natural
causes
The loss is confined almost entirely to
the old saw mill building, and will prob
ably be in the neighborhOod of SlS, 900.
The insurance is as follows:
EatSbCimsT IgCHcH-
on stock of lumber, headings hungS, &c.,
contained in the two buildings, West
ern OF Toronto.
Inthe Anderson & Atkinson and Rogers
agencies there is about 81 900 or $l2 900
of insurance, divided up among ten or a
dozen different companies, each having
about 81 900 Of the risk. This is upon the
machinery and stock of manufactured and
unmanufactured lumber contained in the
two buildings occupied by the firm. The
buildings are owned by Mr.. Henry Hub
hard, and are insured for 81, 500, 81, 80 of
which is in the Fire and Marine, of Wheel
ing.
The building destroyed is q very old
one. and was one of the landmarks of the
central portion of the city. For years it
was operated by the MessrS. Hubbard as a
saw mill, but these gentlemen ceased oper-
ations there several years ago. For some
time the premises were not occupied, but
about two years ago MeSsrs. Hale x
Stalnaker leased the property, and at once
began 10 put in an extensive and costly
plant Much of the machinery contained
IN the burned edi6ce was of very intricate
and costly nature, aud this fact makes the
loss o heavy one. The firm also had
large stock of manufactured and un-
manufactured lumber, &c, on hand.
This latter is about all destroyed,
and the machinery is, of course,
ruined by the combined action of fire and
water.
The firemen continued at work at the
scene until after four O'Clock this morning.
by which time the last smouldering en-
hers had been almost drowned out. 1t is
fortunate the night was n wet one, or the
city would have been the scene of an eX-
tensiye cOnhaGTatiOn.
Warning ShOsmAkers.
NEW YORK, April 17.-About 300 shoe